Andanar claims $1,000 offered to reporters that covered Lascañas presser

Some reporters were offered $1,000 to cover the press conference of SPO3 Arthur Lascañas at the Senate, a Malacañang official said in a live television interview on Monday.

Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar made the bold accusation after Lascañas, who once denied in a Senate inquiry the existence of a Duterte-backed vigilante group, said on Monday that the Davao Death Squad (DDS) did exist.

Lascañas corroborated confessed hitman Edgar Matobato's allegations that members of the DDS were paid as much as P100,000 for every hit.

"Meron na rin tayong natanggap na reports na as much as $1,000 ang ipinamigay dito sa presscon na ito. Hindi ko na lang papangalan ang aking source pero meron daw pinagbibigyan ng ganitong kalaking halagang pera para ma-cover ito," Andanar said.

Andanar has said that Lascañas' "character assassination" was part of a prolonged political drama meant to topple the administration.

In response, reporters covering the Senate challenged Andanar to prove his claim that reporters who covered SPO3 Arthur Lascañas’ press conference were given as much as $1,000, or otherwise make a public apology for spreading “fake news.”

The Senate media denied the “unsubstantiated and irresponsible claims” of Andanar made in a television interview, saying it was “truly unbecoming” of a Cabinet official who himself came from the media industry.

"We would like to ask the Secretary to prove his allegations as such statements placed our credibility and our respective media entities under a cloud of doubt," the statement read.

"Otherwise, we demand a public apology from Secretary Andanar for spreading ‘fake news,’ truly unbecoming of someone who, just a few months ago, came from the media industry. ”

Lascañas allegations

Lascañas during the press conference at the Senate was joined by lawyers of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) led by national chairman Jose Manuel Diokno and Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

The retired policeman was previously tagged by confessed hitman Edgar Matobato as the leader of the DDS. He denied the allegations months back in a Senate hearing.

But on Monday, he backed Matobato's claims and said that Duterte once paid them up to P100,000 per target.

Andanar could was not certain if the offer was accepted by the reporters.

"Pinagbibigyan daw ang mga reporter doon kung saan nangyari. May nag-offer daw pero hindi ko lang alam kung tinanggap. Pero merong nagsumbong sa akin," Andanar said.

"Iyon ang umiikot na storya pero hindi naman sinabi na tinanggap na merong mga offer na ganoong kalaking pera ang oposisyon para lamang pabagsakin ang administrasyong ito, para ipakalat ang storya ni SPO3 [Lascañas]," he added.

Andanar refused to elaborate on the opposition he was referring to.

"I cannot categorically say na galing kay Senator Trillanes," Andanar said.

In a statement, Trillanes said Andanar’s statement was the “height of irresponsibility” for the Cabinet official.

“First of all, I categorically deny na nagbigay ako o kung sino man ng $1k sa mga reporters na nagcover ng presscon kanina,” Trillanes said.

“Hindi namin gawain yan at mataas ang respeto namin sa Senate Media para gawin yan. That's the height of irresponsibility for a cabinet official to say that publicly,” the senator added.

Trillanes said Andanar’s claim is meant to “divert” the issue from Lascañas’ confessions.

Responding to the statement of the Senate reporters, Andanar said that he only claimed that there was monetary offer.

"I believe the transcript will bear out the fact that while a monetary offer may have been made to attract coverage of the concerned press conference at the Senate, no member of our working press was alluded to as a recipient," he said in a statement, with the full transcript of his television interview.

"As a long-time broadcast journalist myself, I hold our former colleagues in the media in the highest esteem as we forge forward in our commitment to serve the public through the dissemination of factual information," he added. —NB, GMA News